3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
War is serious business, but sometimes a good story just needs to be narrated with a bit less seriousness. The McCoys Before the Feud, by Thomas McCoy, is a fine example. The first book in McCoy’s historical fiction series sets the reader up for post-Civil War adventures for members of the McCoy clan. A McCoy descendant narrating stories about his McCoy ancestors leads me to think of family reunions and uncles taking turns telling stories and sharing family folklore after all else has been said and done. Details and descriptions have been fleshed out beautifully; otherwise, this has the feel of a family story that is proudly handed down generation after generation.
In The McCoys Before the Feud, the main character, Tommy plots a mission to steal valuables confiscated from Confederate citizens by the Union Army to supposedly be sold and help pay for expenses related to the war but were instead stashed away by a few corrupt Union army officers in strongholds scattered around Kansas. A letter from his sweetheart instigates Tommy’s plotting. He discusses the possibilities with his dad as they both prepare to muster out of the Confederate Army. His dad buys into Tommy’s mission and they send the word out among the troops preparing to lay down arms, and muster out of the army, that all McCoys are invited to meet-up at a nearby camp location for a brief family reunion before returning to their respective homes. Once the clan gathers, new adventures begin.
What I like the most about this book is how well Thomas McCoy details plans, missions, and actions; describes settings; and generally keeps a forward pace to the story. It is a fun read. I would put it in the category of being a page-turner. I enjoyed reading the book.
The book does have weaknesses, however. The characters are flat. I cannot come up with a single change in any character in the story. I only find one single instance of any level of conflict between any characters, other than the obvious conflict of stealing treasure and going out on missions; but among the McCoy team, no conflicts at all, after so long, the story begins feeling sanitized, which is exactly what it is, a sanitized telling of an adventure, one-sided and flat. A conflict is mentioned between Tommy and his girlfriend, but it is hard to find much mentioned about resolution or further doubts, hard feelings or good feelings. The girlfriend’s relatives don’t share any feelings about anything, not even regarding the father that was away at war at the beginning of the book and nothing has changed at the end of the book. Questions are not answered. Characters are flat. Even on missions, no one wants to hurt anyone on either side, not even the soldiers they were at war with a few days earlier. A couple of people get hurt, but nobody is killed. That is good, but trending toward sanitized storytelling, which leads me to what really bothers me, the morals involved in the tale. Are they thieves or folk heroes? Does the percentage of split or motives for second-thought generosity add any weight to either side of that debate? The reader decides this issue. It feels a bit out of balance to read a sanitized story with muddy morals, but I suspect that I am interpreting the story a little too seriously. My mind lingers on a good story after the last page has been turned. This story is good and it keeps lingering, so yes, I may be taking it a bit too seriously.
The book is a quick, enjoyable read and appears to be professionally edited. I give it a 3 out of 4-star rating. I would like to see more attention to crafting well-rounded characters and deeper dialogue to rate this book higher.
I recommend The McCoys Before the Feud, by Thomas McCoy, to fans of classic westerns, fans of Civil War-era novels, and anyone looking for a light, quick read. It is well suited for any generation and contains one single, mild curse word at the very end. It is clean and sanitary for a post-war tale.
******
The McCoys Before The Feud
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
